1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to a housing for an optical device that includes a mounting member for receiving a ferrule, and in particular, to a housing wherein the mounting member is pivotally mounted with respect thereto.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
A fiber optic communications channel in accord with the Fiber Distributed Data Interface Standard being developed by the ANSI X3T9 committee is depicted in a highly diagrammatic representation in FIG. 1. The communications channel, generally indicated by the reference character 10, includes in its simplest form a transmitting device 12, a receiving device 14, and an optical link 16. The transmitting device 12 functionally comprises an active optical component 18 that serves as an optical source (typically a solid state laser element or an LED element 20 with an associated driver 22) and a network 24 carrying the corresponding necessary electronic coding components. Correspondingly, the receiving device 14 functionally comprises an active optical component 28 that serves as an optical detector (typically a solid state diode element 30 with an associated amplifier 32) and a network 36 carrying the corresponding necessary electronic decoding components. The solid state elements 20, 30 may be housed within a suitable package and the networks 24 and 36 may be each mounted to a rigid supporting substrate 38 (FIG. 3).
The transmitting device 12 and the receiving device 14 may each be physically disposed in a housing. The housing includes a body 42 having a generally barrel shaped socket 44. The body 42 has an axis A.sub.B extending therethrough while the socket 44 has an axis A.sub.S associated therewith. The axes A.sub.B and A.sub.S are generally parallel to each other. The socket 44 is precision manufactured so that the solid state elements 20, 30 in the active optical components 18 or 28, as the case may be, lie precisely on the axis A.sub.S. The socket 44 is integrally or rigidly attached to the body 42 of the housing.
A hybrid device, known as a transceiver, may also be implemented. A transceiver is essentially a two-channel arrangement that disposes, in a single housing, the active components and the associated networks for both a transmitter device and a separate receiver device. The housing for such a transceiver device includes two sockets 44, one for each optical device therein.
Exemplary of a prior art transmitter device and a receiver device having the general construction as described above are the devices manufactured by BT&D Technologies, Ltd., and sold as models receiver DLR 1000 and transmitter DLT 1000, respectively.
The optical link 16 for a fiber optic communications channel 10 is defined as lying between the input to the driver 22 and the output of the amplifier 32. The link 16 includes a optical fiber cable 48. The cable 48 is physically terminated at both ends by a suitable termination 52.
Shown in FIG. 2 is a typical termination 52 for the optical fiber cables 48 used in the optical links for the two devices of a transceiver. In practice, the cables 48 may be covered by a single jacket. The termination 52 has a casing 54 which receives each of the cables 48. The casing 54 has a keyway 55 formed therein. A reference axis A.sub.C extends through the casing. The insulating jacket of each cable 48 is stripped and the fiber of each cable 48 entering in the casing 54 is inserted through a prong-like extension 56 known as a ferrule (see also, FIG. 7). The dimensions of the ferrule 56 are precisely controlled such that the end point of the fiber 48 is received by the ferrule 56 and is disposed on a point P on the end face 56F of the ferrule 56. The point P lies precisely on the axis A.sub.F of the ferrule 56. The ferrule 56 is positioned so that the axis A.sub.F lies parallel to the axis A.sub.C. Latches 58 are provided on the casing 54 to facilitate the latching of the termination 52 to the housing of the optical device into which it is inserted. A typical termination is that manufactured by AMP Inc. and sold as the "Optimate" duplex connector.
In the prior art constructions the ferrule(s) 56 is(are) spring loaded within the casing 54 of the termination 52. Each fiber 48 is rigidly potted or otherwise firmly affixed within its ferrule 56. As noted earlier, the socket(s) 44 of the housing 42 that receives the termination 52 is(are) integrally or rigidly attached to the body 42 of the housing. In practice one or both of the ferrule(s) 56 may become bent so that the arrangement of their axes A.sub.F in the termination is disrupted. Alternatively or additionally, the alignment of the axis A.sub.S of the socket 44 and its associated housing may be altered. Since the socket 44 is rigidly secured to the housing, it cannot accommodate these deviations and the ferrule 56 is thus not able to be inserted accurately into the socket 44 so that the precise positioning of the fiber 48 to the optical source or optical detector, as the case may be, does not occur. In addition these deviations inhibit ease of interconnectibility of the ferrule with the housing.
In view of the foregoing it is believed advantageous to provide a casing in which a socket is compliantly mounted so that misalignments between the axis of the ferrule and the axis of the socket can be accommodated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,072 (Smith), U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,599 (Yamaguchi et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,706 (Cannon et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,081 (Borgos et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,008 (Ohyama et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,388 (Tanaka et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,879 (Becher et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,934 (Wais et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,333 (Takezawa et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,675 (Kevern et al.) all disclose structures for terminations and/or housings for receiving terminations whereby a fiber is interconnected in alignment with an active device. The patent to Smith is believed pertinent in that it discloses an arrangement in which a socket is moveably mounted within its associated housing.